Report on EU enlargement says Turkey needs to do more on rule of law and democratic rights but leaves door open for membership

Turkey still has "much to do" in tackling press freedom, democratic rights and police brutality before it can entertain hopes of joining the EU, a major report on future expansion has said.

Stefan Fule, the EU enlargement commissioner, said that in terms of satisfying the necessary criteria for EU membership the "ball is in Turkey´s court".

He was speaking on Wednesday after the European Commission published its annual progress reports assessing how far Ankara and other countries aspiring to EU membership have come in bringing their laws into line with EU standards.

The Commission report criticised "excessive" use of force by Turkish police in crushing anti-government protests in the summer, with Mr Fule saying this was "cause for serious concern."

The keenly-awaited report said progress was still needed in Turkey on the rule of law, tackling corruption and on reform of the judiciary.

But the Commission was more consensual towards possible Turkish membership than had been expected, with Mr Fule describing the country as a "strategic partner" for the EU and adding that its membership credentials remained "credible."

"I´ve a lot of voices saying we should disengage with Turkey but I take the opposite view. We have so many issues of mutual interest but the ball is in Turkey´s court," he said.

Ankara has provisionally completed just one of 35 chapters of accession talks. It has opened a dozen more policy areas but most of the rest are blocked due to disputes over the divided island of Cyprus or hostility from some EU members such as Germany.

EU governments will consider the Commission's report at a meeting on October 22 when they will decide whether they will open the next 'chapter' of accession negotiations with Turkey on regional policy.

In its report, the Commission also proposed that EU governments formally recognise Albania as a candidate for membership. On Serbia, which won a green light in June to start negotiations by next January, Mr Fule praised Belgrade´s efforts to normalise relations with its former province Kosovo.

However, the document was scathing of some other candidate countries, including Bosnia where Mr Fule said the accession process had ground to a "standstill."

Helene Flautre, a French Green MEP, who chairs the European Parliament´s Turkey delegation, said: "The report paints a mixed picture of the situation in Turkey. While there is clear progress on issues such as the Kurdish question, minority rights and judicial reform, the Commission correctly highlights problems in the field of fundamental rights and freedom of the press as the weaknesses of Turkish democracy."